Method and devices for improved disinfection process

ABSTRACT

A method which enhances a disinfection process by using a catalyst which increases in effective surface area during the process. Also disclosed are contact lens disinfecting systems which are designed to maintain a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution for a longer period of time before increasing the overall surface area of catalyst exposed to the hydrogen peroxide solution. The devices utilize pressure from expanding oxygen generated within the system through use of a small catalyst, or through exposure of only a small portion of a large catalyst, to control deployment of the large catalyst for completing disproportionation of the hydrogen peroxide.

RELATED APPLICATION (PRIORITY CLAIM)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/185,277, filed Jun. 9, 2009, which is hereby incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus forcontrolling the decomposition of a solution using a catalyzing agent,and more specifically relates to a method and apparatus for controllingand enhancing a disinfection process.

The present invention relates to an improved disinfection method andapparatus which utilizes, for example, hydrogen peroxide solution and acatalyzing agent to facilitate controlled decomposition of the hydrogenperoxide within a sealed reaction chamber containing an object to bedisinfected, such as contact lenses, wherein the solution, thedecomposition catalyzing agent, the resulting energy, and byproducts ofdecomposition are employed to control and enhance the disinfectionprocess.

While the method disclosed herein may be utilized, for example, todisinfect contact lenses, particularly soft contact lenses, the methodmay also be suitable to disinfect other types of items, for examplelarger items, such as non-sterile medical or dental appliances and thelike, within a reaction chamber appropriately scaled to size. As such,while the present disclosure focuses on using the method (and associatedapparatus) to disinfect contact lenses using hydrogen peroxide, itshould be understood that the method can be used in other disinfectingapplications.

Hydrogen peroxide is unstable and eventually decomposes(disproportionates) into water and oxygen over time. The decompositionoccurs more quickly if the hydrogen peroxide is, for example, subjectedto temperature extremes, exposed to ultraviolet light, or introduced toa catalyzing agent. The decomposition rate is also affected by itspercentage of concentration, its pH, and the presence of impurities andstabilizers. The decomposition process is exothermic in nature and whena catalyzing agent has been introduced to the hydrogen peroxide, evolvedthermal energy and oxygen can accelerate the process by several meansthat increase molecular contact opportunities with the catalyzing agent.The means include creation of thermally inspired convection, mechanicalmixing resulting from the stirring effect of rising oxygen bubbles, aswell as increased molecular motion which lowers the energy threshold fordecomposition.

Hydrogen peroxide is a larger molecule than water with a specificgravity of 1.443 and a viscosity of 1.245 cP at 20 degrees Celsius,compared to water which has a viscosity of 1.003 cP at 20 degreesCelsius. Nevertheless, each is entirely miscible with the other,allowing a limitless variety of concentration levels to be tailored tosuit various applications. Hydrogen peroxide solutions formulated fordisinfection may contain surfactants, and are often pH-modified andchemically-stabilized in order to assure reasonable shelf life andpotency at the time of use. Hydrogen peroxide formulated fordisinfection of contact lenses, for example, is generally supplied at aconcentration of no less than 3.0%, and may range up to 4.0% in order toassure that a minimum concentration of 3.0% is available fordisinfection.

While more highly concentrated solutions would be more potent andeffective against pathogens, the use of more highly concentratedsolutions has generally not been pursued for contact lens care use. Thisis due to the strong oxidizing nature of hydrogen peroxide, and thedamaging effects such higher concentrations could have upon accidental,full strength contact with sensitive ocular tissue. Typically, peroxidefor the purpose of disinfecting contact lenses is supplied at 3.7%concentration.

Catalysts that facilitate decomposition of hydrogen peroxide includemost of the transition metals, manganese dioxide, silver and the enzymecatalase. Quite commonly in connection with single step contact lensdisinfection systems, platinum is introduced to the solution in the formof a surface coating on a polymeric support structure. Catalystsfunction by changing the energy pathway for a chemical reaction. FIG. 1provides a graph which compares the energy associated with activatingwithout a catalyst (line 10) to the energy associated with activatingwith a catalyst (line 12). As indicated, when introduced to hydrogenperoxide, a catalyst serves to lower the activation energy required toinitiate decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide under ambient conditionsin which it was otherwise stable.

The combination of solution temperature, exothermally-generated heat,thermally-inspired convection, mechanical stirring from evolving oxygenbubbles, dilution resulting from disproportionation, dissolved gas inthe solution, and changes in ambient pressure has been found to impactthe rate at which the catalyzed reaction progresses. In an openenvironment such as that provided by a typical commercially-availablehydrogen peroxide disinfection cup system for contact lenses, forexample the AO SEPT system (as shown in FIG. 2, with the overall systembeing identified with reference numeral 13) offered by Ciba Vision,contact lenses are introduced to 10 milliliters of the hydrogen peroxidesolution essentially simultaneously with the catalyst, and evolvedoxygen from the reaction is subsequently vented off through ahydrophobic membrane or one way valve (indicated with reference numeral14 in FIG. 2) in the cap (indicated with reference numeral 15 in FIG.2). As shown in FIG. 3, with this type of system, solution concentrationresulting from the catalyzed reaction declines rather rapidly to about0.1%, whereupon six to eight hours are required before the concentrationof the solution bath has been reduced to a level that is safe for adisinfected lens to be inserted in the eye without risk of ocularirritation to the user.

Disinfection of contact lenses is regularly practiced by lens wearers inorder to eliminate a variety of environmentally ubiquitous organismsknown to be found on contaminated lenses. The organisms at issueinclude, but are not limited to, various pathogenic strains ofStaphylococcus, Pseudomonas, E. Coli, Acanthamoeba, and the like.Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic pathogen associated with a potentiallyblinding infection of the cornea termed Acanthamoeba keratitis. Amongthe general population, contact lens wearers are believed to be most atrisk to this organism, accounting for more than 95% of reported cases ofthe ocular infection. A particularly insidious organism, Acanthamoebacan transition from active trophozoite to a dormant, more resistantencysted stage when exposed to conditions of starvation, desiccation,and changes in pH and temperature. Once encysted, this organism'sresistance to biocides results largely from the physical barrier of itscyst walls rather than as a consequence of metabolic dormancy. The majorcomponents of the cyst's walls are acid-resistant proteins andcellulose, with the outer wall, or exocyst, composed primarily ofprotein and the inner endocyst comprised of over 30% cellulose. Althoughremarkably resistant to chlorine-hearing disinfectants and evenhydrochloric acid, encysted Acanthamoeba is subject to destruction byexposure to hydrogen peroxide. Acanthamoeba cysts exhibit greatersusceptibility to hydrogen peroxide as the disinfectant's concentrationis increased. The impact of hydrogen peroxide's concentration uponAcanthamoeba cysts was documented in a study by Reanne Hughes, Peter W.Andrew and Simon Kilvington of the Department of Microbiology andImmunology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK, published in the May2003 edition of “Applied and Environmental Microbiology”. A graphextracted from that study and shown in FIG. 4 illustrates the impact of1%, 2% and 3% hydrogen peroxide solutions over a period of time uponkilling the target Acanthamoeba cyst. In FIG. 4, line 20 relates to the1% hydrogen peroxide solution, line 22 relates to the 2% hydrogenperoxide solution, and line 24 relates to the 3% hydrogen peroxidesolution.

Under standard ambient conditions, the method by which hydrogen peroxidedestroys pathogens is through oxidation resulting in denaturation of theorganism's proteins. One option to deal with heavily contaminated lensesor resistant organisms, such as Acanthamoeba, would be to start with amore highly concentrated solution, but there are undesirable user risksassociated with that approach. Some of these risks have already beendiscussed hereinabove.

A more attractive option would be to slow the decomposition process inorder to maintain a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide for alonger period of time before finally reducing the concentration to anocularly comfortable level. With such an approach, more heavilycontaminated lenses could therefore be disinfected, and resistantorganisms could be better dealt with using solutions that havecommonly-accepted concentrations. Unfortunately, present daydisinfection systems are limited by the reaction rate necessary toobtain irritation-free disinfected lenses at the end of a reasonable 6to 8 hour overnight wait period. This results from a balance that hashistorically been struck between the volume of peroxide solution, a safeand practical starting concentration level for the peroxide, and thesize of catalyst (such as platinum) necessary to assure adequatedecomposition in use. Regarding catalyst size, typically 94 squaremillimeters to 141 square millimeters of catalyst surface area isallocated for each milliliter of 3.0% to 4.0% hydrogen peroxidesolution. Although an undersized catalyst would certainly slow thedecomposition process, keeping concentrations higher for a longer periodof time, using an undersized catalyst may result in the lens solutionnot reaching user comfort levels within a reasonable time period, sincethe significance of catalyst surface area actually increases as theamount of released energy and solution concentration declines.Additionally, methods (such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,448)of slowing decomposition by using buoyant catalysts that have contactareas which increase as they sink from loss of attached bubbles haveproven too difficult to commercialize reliably.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY

An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide animproved disinfection method.

Another object of an embodiment of the present invention is to providean apparatus which can be used to practice the method.

Briefly, a specific embodiment of the present invention provides amethod which can be used to disinfect, for example, contact lenses usinghydrogen peroxide and a catalyst. The method provides that once thecatalyst is introduced to the hydrogen peroxide in a reaction chamber,such as in a contact lens case, and the reaction chamber is sealed, theoverall surface area of catalyst exposed to the hydrogen peroxideincreases during the process, thereby allowing improved disinfectionwhile providing means to assure satisfactory decomposition of thehydrogen peroxide solution within a reasonable time period.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The organization and manner of the structure and operation of theinvention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a graph which effectively compares the energy associated withactivating without a catalyst to the energy associated with activatingwith a catalyst;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art contact lens disinfectioncup system, specifically the AO SEPT system offered by Ciba Vision;

FIG. 3 is a graph which indicates the change in concentration of ahydrogen peroxide solution over time, when the cup system shown in FIG.2 is used to disinfect contact lenses;

FIG. 4 is a graph which shows the impact of 1%, 2% and 3% hydrogenperoxide solutions over a period of time upon killing the targetAcanthamoeba cyst;

FIG. 5 is a graph which shows the change in pressure over time when a110 sq. mm catalyst is immersed in 10 milliliters of 3.7% hydrogenperoxide solution in a container having 6 cc's of headspace;

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5, but shows the change in peroxideconcentration over time when a 110 sq. mm catalyst is immersed in 10milliliters of 3.7% hydrogen peroxide solution;

FIG. 7 is a graph which shows the change in pressure over time when a 67sq. mm catalyst is immersed in 10 milliliters of 3.7% hydrogen peroxidesolution in a container having 8 cc's of headspace;

FIG. 8 is a graph which shows the change in peroxide concentration overtime when a 67 sq. mm catalyst is first subjected to 10 milliliters of3.7% hydrogen peroxide solution in a standard cup having 8 cc's ofheadspace, and then followed by a 1075 sq. mm catalyst after 30 minutesfrom start;

FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 8, but shows the change in peroxideconcentration over time when the secondary 1075 sq. mm catalyst isintroduced 60 minutes from start, as opposed to 30 minutes from start;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of a contact lens disinfectingsystem which is in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are cross-sectional views of a contact lens disinfectingsystem which is in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a spring member component of thecontact lens disinfecting systems shown in FIGS. 10 through 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a catalyst assembly component of thecontact lens disinfecting system shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, showing thecatalyst assembly's initial small overall surface area (as provided inFIG. 10);

FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15, but showing the catalyst assemblyafter deployment, thereby providing an increased overall surface area(as provided in FIG. 11);

FIG. 17 is a graph which shows how the beam strength of the springmember of FIGS. 10-14 changes based on the amount of deflection; and

FIG. 18 is a graph which shows the change in pressure over time when thecontact lens disinfection system shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is employed.

DESCRIPTION

The inventions disclosed herein are susceptible to embodiment in manydifferent forms. However, specific embodiments are shown in the drawingsand described in detail hereinbelow. The present disclosure is to beconsidered an example of the principles of the invention, and is notintended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments which areillustrated and described herein.

The method disclosed herein improves the disinfection process byharnessing energy from the decomposition process. Useful energy isavailable during the catalytically-inspired disproportionation ofhydrogen peroxide solution in the form of heat and expansion of evolvedoxygen molecules. Containment of the liberated oxygen from 10milliliters of solution within a reaction chamber having 4 cc of headspace, a volume similar to the typical contact lens cup discussed above(and illustrated in FIG. 2), has the potential to generate approximately186 p.s.i. pressure within one half hour following introduction of acatalyst having 948 square millimeters of surface area. Although acatalyst having more than 94 to 141 square millimeters of surface areafor each milliliter of solution would serve to decrease hydrogenperoxide solution concentration too quickly for effective disinfectionin a typical disinfection system, introducing such a catalyst on adelayed basis has been found to offer improved disinfectionpossibilities not otherwise available.

A metallic catalyst introduced to a dilute hydrogen peroxide solutionmust contact the hydrogen peroxide molecules in order to initiate theirdecomposition into water and oxygen. Adjacent molecules of the waterdiluent, evolved oxygen and the newly-formed water will only serve toinsulate other peroxide molecules from contacting the catalyst. It cantherefore be seen that movement of the solution to displace water andoxygen and bring more peroxide molecules into contact with the catalystwill accelerate the rate of decomposition over a static condition. Thehigher surface area: fluid volume ratio of a larger catalyst istherefore more effective in bringing end reaction concentrations tolower, ocularly safe levels within a shorter amount of time as bubblesof oxygen resulting from catalytic decomposition of the peroxidesolution rise to the surface and provide mechanical mixing of theperoxide solution in combination with convection currents inspired bythe reaction evolved heat.

Upon being introduced to peroxide solution of the same concentration,larger catalysts therefore provide higher initial rates of activity perunit of catalyst surface area than smaller catalysts due to theirgeneration of more heat and evolved oxygen per unit of peroxide solutionvolume. In contrast, small catalysts offering very low surface area:fluid volume ratios cannot create the necessary mixing from evolvedoxygen and heat to promote sufficient flow within the peroxide solutionbody to overcome a tendency for the solution to stratify. Elevatedhydrostatic pressure resulting from containment of evolving oxygen alsoincreases the amount of dissolved oxygen that can be absorbed within thesolution. High hydrostatic pressure combined with oxygen entering intosolution can also slow the reaction by raising the level of activationenergy required for decomposition (see FIG. 1). Viewed strictly from amechanical perspective, although diffusion ultimately will balance theconcentration of solution throughout the fluid body over time, hydrogenperoxide has been found to be subject to short term stratification whendecomposition initiated by a small catalytic structure generates onlyminimal heat and oxygen bubbles and those oxygen molecules not enteringinto solution under pressure form bubbles of much smaller size leadingto decreased mechanical mixing of the solution bath as they rise to thesurface.

Another object of the method disclosed herein is to enhance thedisinfection process by obtaining an additive effect from the energy andbyproducts of the decomposition phase. By employing high pressure fromcontained, expanding, evolved oxygen in order to assist a hydrogenperoxide solution in obtaining greater penetration and oxidativepotential, the high hydrostatic conditions thereby created can also beleveraged to exploit the natural dynamic equilibrium of pathogens, asdiffusion allows for an elevated oxygen condition to be created withinthe organism under oxygen-saturated conditions sustained by thepressurized solution bath. A further additive effect can thereafter berealized as a consequence of introducing a subsequent rapiddecompression from the high pressure condition to elicit boiling ofdissolved oxygen from solution and thereby cause expansion of excessabsorbed oxygen within the pathogen to further stress the organism'scell membrane undergoing oxidative denaturation from hydrogen peroxideexposure. This mechanism compliments the destructive effects ofoxidative denaturation upon the pathogen's proteins. Followingdecompression, with high pressure having been relieved, the catalyticreaction is therefore allowed to resume under low pressure at a muchfaster pace in order to assure that decomposition has been completed toan acceptable level within the desired 6 to 8 hour time span.

It is important to discriminate between the true overall surface area ofa catalyst utilized within this application and the effective surfacearea of that catalyst. Experience has shown for instance, that whenhorizontal and downward facing surfaces of the catalyst are placed inclose proximity to an opposing surface, that location on the catalystexhibits a very low decomposition activity level for the amount ofsurface area exposed to the peroxide solution. This apparent lack ofeffectiveness is due to inhibited free solution flow resulting from thenarrow horizontal space confronting the catalyst and an accumulation ofattached oxygen bubbles from decomposed peroxide adhering to theseadjacent surfaces and remaining trapped within the narrow horizontalspace. Oxygen bubbles trapped in this manner cannot rise away from thecatalyst and therefore remain attached to its surface, reducing theamount of catalytic surface area exposed to the hydrogen peroxide andthus impose a very significant decrease upon the rate of peroxidedecomposition for that surface of the catalyst. Further, the closeproximity of the adjacent surfaces, the trapped bubbles and theresulting narrow passageways created by these conditions inhibit freeout flow of evolved water from the decomposition process and thereforethe inflow of fresh hydrogen peroxide to be broken down. Exposedvertical catalytic surfaces provide for the highest rate of hydrogenperoxide decomposition because the evolved oxygen bubbles areimmediately buoyed upward, away from the catalyst along with evolvedwater that has been warmed by heat from the reaction. Convectioninspired flow resulting from these energy sources tends to stir thesolution, helps carry off the water and introduces fresh hydrogenperoxide to the catalyst's surfaces. It can therefore be seen that aslong as the catalyst's vertical surfaces are freely exposed to theperoxide solution they are effective in accelerating its decompositionby inspiring a continuous flow of fresh peroxide against the catalystssurfaces. If a catalyst's vertical surfaces are obstructed by closeadjacent surfaces and therefore not freely exposed however, they willquickly become ineffective as evolved oxygen bubbles become trappedbetween the adjacent surfaces. When this happens, the catalyst'sactivity level quickly decreases in a cascade of events very much likethose previously discussed for close fitting adjacent horizontalsurfaces. As a result, it has been clearly shown that closely-spacedadjacent vertical surfaces from opposing structures can significantlydecrease the activity of the vertically disposed catalytic surfaces dueto oxygen bubble attachment, decreased evolved energy and inhibitedfluid exchange. This mechanism can therefore be utilized to control theeffective surface area offered by a catalyst without any need whatsoeverto actually prevent physical contact between hydrogen peroxide and thecatalyst's surfaces. By this method, a large catalyst can also be madeto perform like a catalyst of much smaller size until the close fittingadjacent structure is removed.

Regardless of active surface area, whether large or small, each catalystwill create pressure within a closed system as oxygen is evolved. Underidentical ambient conditions, the rate at which this pressure isgenerated depends upon both the catalyst's effective surface area andthe concentration of the peroxide it has been introduced into. Immersinga smaller catalyst, one having 110 sq. mm of effective surface area in10 milliliters of 3.7% hydrogen peroxide solution for example, willgenerate 59 p.s.i. of pressure within 30 minutes in a container having 6cc's of headspace and approximately 100 p.s.i. after 60 minutes (seeFIG. 5) and 150 p.s.i. in 120 minutes when headspace is limited to 4cc's of volume. With this small catalyst, solution concentration willreduce to 3.0% after 30 minutes immersion and 2.6% after 60 minutes fromthe starting concentration of 3.7% (see FIG. 6), compared against aminiscule 0.1% concentration (see FIG. 3) resulting from 30 minutesimmersion of a standard sized catalyst of 940 sq. mm surface area.Immersing an even smaller catalyst, one having 67 sq. mm of effectivesurface area in 10 milliliters of solution having 8 cc's of headspaceresults in 19 p.s.i. pressure and 3.3% solution concentration after 30minutes (see FIG. 7).

It can therefore be seen that utilization of a low activity levelcatalyst having, for instance, 65 to 110 sq. mm effective surface area,provides pressure to do work and offers the benefit of sustaining ahigher hydrogen peroxide concentration for a longer period of time. Onecan also see that such a delay offers several orders of magnitudeimprovement in the ability to kill Acanthamoeba organism cysts ingreater quantity. Referring to FIG. 4, the log cyst kill for a 3%peroxide concentration (represented by line 24) held for 30 minutes is−0.75 and for 60 minutes is −1.40 compared to only −0.067 for even a 1%solution (represented by line 20) held for a 60 minute period.Unfortunately, a catalyst of 65 to 110 sq. mm does not have the abilityto decompose 10 milliliters of hydrogen peroxide to ocularly save levelswithin the desired 6 to 8 hour time span. Therefore, following the delayperiod offered by this small catalyst it has been shown necessary tointroduce a catalyst of much greater surface area, one capable ofproviding peroxide decomposition at a substantially higher rate, inorder to reduce peroxide concentrations to the desired level within timeremaining after the desirable 30 or 60 minute delay. Ideally, thislarger secondary catalyst should offer a minimum of 960 sq. mm ofadditional surface area but would fit within a present day cylindricallens disinfection case if made as large as 1777 sq. mm in active surfacearea in order to complete decomposition within 6 to 8 hours fromintroduction of the catalyst assembly and lenses. The peroxidedecomposition curve in FIG. 8 shows the decline of concentration for a10 milliliter body of 3.7% solution first subjected to a 67 sq. mmcatalyst, then followed by a 1075 sq. mm catalyst after 30 minutes fromstart. FIG. 9 illustrates the desirable concentration curve possiblewhen using an initial 67 sq. mm effective area catalyst followed with asecondary 1075 sq. mm catalyst after 60 minutes from start. FIG. 9 doesnot illustrate the maximum time delay possible, however. Provided that asecondary catalyst of large enough area were presented, one of 1777 sq.mm of active surface area for example following initial decompositionwith a small active surface area catalyst, delays of more than 60minutes are possible when using larger catalysts than the 1075 sq. mmcatalyst in the curves shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIGS. 10-13 illustrate two contact lens disinfection systems 100, 200which are in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Thesystems 100, 200 shown in FIGS. 10-13 are designed to maintain a highconcentration of peroxide for a longer period of time before introducinga larger catalyst than commonly used in a typical single step hydrogenperoxide disinfection system. Both devices utilize pressure fromexpanding oxygen generated within the system through use of a smallcatalyst, or through exposure of only a small portion of a largecatalyst, to control deployment of the large catalyst for completingdisproportionation of the peroxide. The catalyst assembly can thereforebe comprised of a pair of catalytic members offering a low catalyticallyactive surface area initially, followed by deployment of one of themembers to expose a much greater catalytic surface area to the peroxidedisinfection solution. In other words, the catalyst assembly isbasically expandable with regard to overall surface area. Experience hasshown that the effective activity level of a catalyst's horizontalsurfaces are less than that of its vertical surfaces and that a downwardfacing horizontal surface offers the least effective catalytic activityof these three orientations, especially when placed in close proximityto the bottom of the containment vessel. It has also been experiencedthat the effectiveness of even vertical catalyst surfaces, when placedin very close proximity to adjacent structures, is significantlyinhibited due to the inability of these surfaces to encounter freshhydrogen peroxide and also as a result of generated oxygen bubbles thatcling between these close surfaces. The devices shown in FIGS. 10-13also feature a pneumatic pressure control mechanism in the form of apressure sensitive, one way, low pressure control valve that bothsustains low pressure venting and prevents entry at all times ofundesirable organisms or particles into the disinfection system.

The contact lens disinfection system 100 illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11will be described initially, and then the contact lens disinfectionsystem 200 illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 will be described, mainlydiscussing the differences between the two systems.

The contact lens disinfection system 100 illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11includes a cup 102 for holding hydrogen peroxide solution 104 (typically10 milliliters of solution), and the cup 102 is conventional in that itis generally cylindrical and provides a reaction chamber 105 therein fordisinfecting contact lenses. The system 100 includes a cap assembly 106which has threads 108 which are configured to engage correspondingthreads 110 on the cup 102, thereby forming an enclosed containmentvessel for disinfecting contact lenses.

The cap assembly 106 includes a cap 114, as well as a multi-walled,single piece valve body 116 which is affixed to the cap 114. Aspring-retaining member 118 is affixed to the valve body 116 and isretained within the cap 114. The cap assembly 106 also includes a stem120, and the stem 120 is attached to and hermetically sealed to thevalve body 116. The stem 120 has a sealing member 122 thereon forsealing with an inside surface 124 of the cup 102. The stem 120 hasretaining baskets 126 thereon, and the retaining baskets 126 areconfigured to pivot open and closed, in order to receive contact lenses,and maintain the contact lenses in a space 128 which is provided betweenthe stem 120 and the retaining baskets 126. The stem 120 and retainingbaskets 126 may be conventional, such as described in either U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,200,187 or 4,750,610, both of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

The spring-retaining member 118 has openings 130 therein for supportinga U-shaped control spring 132. As shown in FIG. 14, preferably thecontrol spring 132 is a beam-like member having a generally U-shapedcross-section, and acts as a beam to transfer an applied pressureinduced to control spring supports 134. While FIGS. 9-14 illustrate aspecific control spring configuration, the control spring may take otherforms.

The headspace 136 of the system 100 includes a lower headspace 136 awhich is contained generally within the cup 102, and an upper headspace136 b which is contained generally within the cap assembly 106, andthere is a communicating passageway 138 which allows gas from thedecomposing hydrogen peroxide 104 to travel from the lower headspace 136a, along the communicating passageway 138, to the upper headspace 136 b.Approximately 4 to 8 cc's of total overall headspace 136 may beprovided, but overall headspace can be varied as can the surface area ofthe catalyst 140 (i.e., during design), in order to achieve the desiredinternal operating pressure within the system. This being said, 8 cc'sof headspace 136 has been determined to provide a reasonable operatingpressure.

A multi-piece catalyst assembly 140 is retained on the end of the stem120, and an actuating rod 142 also engages the catalyst assembly 140.The actuating rod 142 extends downward through the communicatingpassageway 138, which assists in its alignment as the actuating rod 142passes through the stem 120. The system 100 also includes apressure-displaceable member such as a diaphragm 144 which is held bythe spring-retaining member 118. The diaphragm 144 is preferably formedof a suitable elastomeric material and is mounted on and hermeticallyseals to the valve body 116, where it is held in place by thespring-retaining member 118. A flange 146 on the actuating rod 142 isattached to the diaphragm 144, and is secured in place by a cap 148 onthe actuating rod 142. The cap 148 bears against the spring 132, whichis suspended in place by control spring supports 134, which are integralparts of the spring-retaining member 118, and pushes the spring 132 intocontact with a spring stop 150 which is provided on the inside surface152 of the cap 114.

The cap assembly 106 also includes a one-way, pressure control valve 154which consists of a flapper valve 156, and a post 158 which extendsthrough the middle of the flapper valve 156. As will be described morefully later hereinbelow, the pressure control valve 154 is configured toallow venting of the system 100 when the internal pressure reaches acertain point. Vent valves similar to the pressure control valve 154have been previously employed to control pressure within contact lenscases, for example, and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,156.

The actuating rod 142 is free to traverse longitudinally within thevalve body 116 in response to forces from the diaphragm 144 and controlspring 132. The catalyst assembly 140 is sized to complete the reactionwithin an appropriate time, and is affixed to the actuating rod 142 andthe bottom of the stem 120. More specifically, the catalyst assembly 140may consist of a first catalyst member 160 which is slidable relativeto, and generally in and out of, a second catalyst member 162. While thefirst catalyst member 160 is mounted to the end of the actuating rod142, the second catalyst member 162 is mounted on the end of the stem120.

While initially the first catalyst member 160 is retained generallywithin the second catalyst member 162 (see FIG. 10), the actuating rod142 is shiftable during the disinfecting process, causing the firstcatalyst member 160 to be pulled generally away from the second catalystmember 162 (see FIG. 11), thereby providing an increased overall surfacearea of catalyst which is in contact with the hydrogen peroxide. FIG. 15provides a perspective view of the catalyst assembly 140 showing thecatalyst's small surface area as first seen in FIG. 10, while FIG. 16provides a perspective view of the deployed catalyst after the controlspring 132 has been fully deflected by the diaphragm 144 and theactuating rod 142 has deployed the catalyst (as shown in FIG. 11), inresponse to pressure created by reaction of hydrogen peroxide 104 to itsinitial, minimally exposed active surface area. In the deployed positionas shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the catalyst assembly 140 preferably offers1075 sq. mm of effective surface area, almost 10 times the effectivearea provided by the small effective surface area of the catalyst beforedeployment (as shown in FIGS. 10 and 15). Depending upon the deflectionof the control spring 132, the deployed area of catalyst can be madegreater or smaller to as may prove necessary to assure the desiredreduction of the hydrogen peroxide to an acceptable level in 6 to 8hours following introduction of catalyst assembly 140 along with contactlenses to be disinfected.

Preferably, the catalyst assembly 140 provides 67 sq. millimeters ofsurface area when exposed to the hydrogen peroxide solution 104 when thefirst catalyst member 160 is retained generally within the secondcatalyst member 162 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 15, but the first andsecond catalyst members combined provide 1075 sq. millimeters of surfacearea once the first catalyst member 160 has been pulled generally out ofthe second catalyst member 162 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 16. As such,either FIG. 8 or 9 is applicable, depending on at what point in time theactuating rod 142 pivots upward, causing the first catalyst member 160to pull out of the second catalyst member 162.

From a downward starting position as shown in FIG. 10, longitudinalmovement of the actuating rod 142 traversing within the valve body 116is limited by the control spring 132, which is configured to detain theactuating rod's movement until internal pressure resulting from theoxygen released into headspace 136 a during disproportionation ofhydrogen peroxide 104 after introduction of catalyst assembly 140,enters passage 138, flows past actuating rod 142 to headspace 136 b andimpinges upon the diaphragm 144. The diaphragm 144, in response topressure, transfers an upward force to the rod cap 148. The rod cap 148in turn transfers the load from pressure against diaphragm 144 tocontrol spring 132 which it bears upon. The control spring 132, being“U”-shaped in cross-section, acts as a beam to transfer thepressure-induced load from abutting rod cap 148 to the control springsupports 134 (integral with the spring-retaining member 118), therebyresisting upward movement of the diaphragm 144. As pressure within theheadspace 136 b against the diaphragm 144 rises (i.e., as a result ofthe ongoing disproportionation of the hydrogen peroxide 104) to theactuating pressure, approximately 19 p.s.i. in this example, thediaphragm 144 with rod cap 148 gains sufficient force to overcome thecontrol spring 132. In response, the “U”-shape of the control spring 132begins to deform in a manner in which the cross-sectional height of the“U”-form becomes smaller, causing the beam strength of the controlspring 132 to decline. When force delivered by the diaphragm 144 reachesthe maximum beam strength of the control spring 132, the control spring132 flattens and buckles as its cross-section diminishes therebyallowing the diaphragm 144 with rod cap 148, actuating rod 142 andattached first catalyst member 160 to traverse longitudinally upward asshown in FIG. 11, until the control spring 132 abuts the spring stop 150in the cap 114. The control spring 132 can deflect up to 0.30 inchesdepending upon the design requirements of the cap assembly 106. In thisdeformed condition, the control spring 132 offers the diaphragm 144significantly lower resistance. A typical shape transition in responseto bending loads by a spring such as control spring 132 can be moreclearly understood by comparing the shape of the control spring 132 inFIG. 10 with its shape shown in FIG. 11, and the spring's resistanceforces during such a transition in shape can more clearly be understoodby viewing FIG. 17. The control spring 132 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11demonstrates its maximum beam strength of 2.69 units when the deflectionfrom the force bearing upon it reaches 0.090 inch of travel and itsminimum beam strength of 0.64 units, or less than 25% of the maximum, at0.105 inch of travel just 0.025 of an inch later. When fully deflectedas described above, the control spring 132 offers approximately 1.42pounds of resistance (44% of the original deflection force) to the forcefrom diaphragm 144, and remains solidly pressed against the spring stop150 while under as little as 12 p.s.i. of pressure in the headspace 136.

Gas entering the headspace 136 b and contained by the diaphragm 144 canonly escape to the ambiance by means of the pressure control valve 154.The flapper valve 156, retained on the post 158, communicates with theheadspace 136 through a port 164. Venting of the headspace 136 isprecipitated as oxygen gas, under pressure against flapper valve 156, isallowed to vent at an annular junction between the flapper valve 156 andthe post 158, exit through passage 166, and slowly escape to theambiance along the close fitting, but unsealed interface between thevalve body 116 and the top 112 of the cup 102 and between the threads108 on the valve body 116 and threads 110 on the cup 102, once athreshold pressure of 24 p.s.i. to 36 p.s.i., for example, has beenreached. Such venting ceases as the flapper valve 156 reseals againstthe post 158 after pressure against it has decreased to a level belowthat of the original threshold pressure, which for this example would beapproximately 3 p.s.i. to 8 p.s.i. lower than the threshold pressure. Inthe system 100 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a resealing pressure as low as12 p.s.i. bearing against the diaphragm 144 would exert over 1.42 poundsof force against the control spring 132. This force would be adequate tohold the control spring 132 solidly against the spring stop 150, as canbe seen in FIG. 11, wherein the control spring 132 requires only 0.66pounds of force to maintain its deflection of 0.11 inches and 0.81pounds of force to maintain its deflection of 0.15 inches and 1.42pounds to maintain a deflection of 0.30 inches. Pressure within theheadspace 136, after initial venting, fluctuates between the pressurecontrol valve's vent pressure and its resealing pressure but would notnormally drop below its resealing pressure as decomposition of hydrogenperoxide proceeds to completion under the influence of the catalyst,whose greater effective surface area now exposed, dramatically increasesthe rate of disproportionation (see FIG. 8) over its initially loweffective surface area prior to being deployed.

Preferably, sufficient threads 108, 110 are provided for engaging thecup 102 with the cap assembly 106 to allow the seal 122 to pass achamfer 168 at the top 112 of the cup 102, in order to relieve the lowresidual pressure maintained by the pressure control valve 854, prior tofinal unthreading of the cap assembly 106 from the cup 102. Conversely,during installation of the cap assembly 106, sufficient engagement isprovided before the seal 122 passes below the chamfer 168 in order toassure that adequate structure is engaged for containment of pressuregenerated during disinfection.

Concurrent with deployment of the large catalyst, the rate ofcatalytically-inspired disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide solution104 within the cup 102 increases significantly in response to theoverall surface area of catalyst becoming enlarged. Solution temperaturerises with the increased disproportionation giving rise tothermally-inspired convection currents, and mixing currents are alsogenerated by the deployment motion of the catalyst assembly and asoxygen bubbles form along it and rise through the solution. Theseresulting currents initially speed the catalytic decomposition bydisturbing stratification to bring more peroxide molecules into contactwith the catalyst assembly 140. Oxygen continues to be evolved into theheadspace 136 and its pressure is controlled by the cyclic venting ofthe control valve 154, previously described, as final decomposition ofthe solution lowers peroxide concentration toward an ocularly safe levelfor use of the contact lenses disinfected within.

An alternate embodiment to the contact lens disinfection system 100shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. This system 200,operating as discussed below, is capable of achieving elevated pressuressufficient to exploit additive effect during disinfection. Since theavailable variations are almost limitless, it should be understood thatalthough the designs discussed herein have been provided to illustrateoperation, it is not intended to limit the variety of design iterationspossible within the overall concept.

Like the contact lens disinfection system 100 previously described, thecontact lens disinfection system 200 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 includes acup 102 and a cap assembly 206. The cap assembly 206 has a sealingmember 122 thereon which engages and seals with an inside surface 124 ofthe cup 102. The cup 102 is configured to retain hydrogen peroxidesolution 104 therein, with headspace 136 being provided above thehydrogen peroxide solution 104. For example, the system 200 may beconfigured such that when 10 milliliters of hydrogen peroxide 104 iscontained in the cup 102, and the cap assembly 206 is engaged with thetop 112 of the cup 102, there is 4 cc's of headspace 136 provided abovethe hydrogen peroxide 104. However, the volume of headspace 136 cancertainly be varied, as can the volume of hydrogen peroxide solution 104used for the disinfection process.

The cap assembly 206 includes a cap 214, a valve body 216 which isattached to the cap 214, and a stem 120 which is attached andhermetically sealed to the valve body 216. The stem 120 has pivotableretaining baskets 126 thereon for retaining the contact lenses in aspace 128 between the stem 120 and the baskets 126.

The cap assembly 206 also includes a U-Shaped control spring 232 whichis retained by the valve body 216. Specifically, the control spring 232is suspended in place by control spring supports 234, which are integralparts of the valve body 216. The control spring 232 of system 200 ispreferably exactly the same as the control spring 132 employed in system100.

The system 200 also includes a plunger 270. The plunger 270 includes acylindrical portion 272 which has a plunger seal 274 thereon, as well asa piston 276 which provides a piston seal 278. Preferably, both seals274, 278 are formed of a suitable elastomeric material. While the pistonseal 278 engages an inside wall 280 of a piston cylinder area 282 of thevalve body 216, the plunger seal 274 engages an inside wall 284 of aplunger cylinder area 286 of the valve body 216. An upper tip 288 of theplunger 270 is provided as being a domed surface, and the plunger tip288 engages the control spring 232. The plunger 270 is configured totraverse up and down, causing the plunger seal 274 to slide along theinside wall 284 of the plunger cylinder area 286, and causing the pistonseal 278 to slide along, and into and out of engagement with, the insidewall 280 of the piston cylinder area 282. When the plunger 270 traversesupward, the plunger tip 288 pushes the control spring 232 into contactwith a spring stop 250 which is provided on the inside surface 252 ofthe cap 214.

The cap assembly 206 also includes a one-way pressure control valve 290which consists of a flapper valve 292 which is retained by a retainer294, and a post 295 which extends through the middle of the flappervalve 292. There is a vent port 296 on one side of the flapper valve 292and a vent passage 297 on the other side of the flapper valve 292. Aswill become more apparent hereinbelow, the piston seal 278 acts as afirst valve in the system while the one-way pressure control valve 290acts as a second valve in the system 200, further downstream in theventing process. Specifically, the plunger 270 gets pushed upward oncepressure in the system reaches a sufficiently high level, causing thepiston seal 278 to slide out of engagement with the inside wall 280 ofthe piston cylinder area 282. As such, the first valve opens.Thereafter, the system 200 vents through the second valve, i.e., one-waypressure control valve 290.

A bottom portion 298 of the plunger 270 provides an actuating rod 299which extends through the stem 120 and engages a catalyst assembly 300.A bottom of the stern 120 also engages the catalyst assembly 300. Morespecifically, the catalyst assembly 300 consists of a first catalystmember 302 which is slidable relative to, and generally in and out of asecond catalyst member 304. While the first catalyst member 302 ismounted to the end of the actuating rod 299, the second catalyst member304 is mounted on the end of the stem 120.

While initially the first catalyst member 302 is retained generallywithin the second catalyst member 304 (see FIG. 12), the plunger 270(and integral actuating rod 299) is shiftable causing the first catalystmember 302 to be pulled generally away from the second catalyst member304 (see FIG. 13), thereby providing an increased overall surface areaof catalyst which is in contact with the hydrogen peroxide. In thedeployed position as shown in FIG. 13, the catalyst assembly preferablyoffers 1075 sq. mm of effective surface area. Depending upon thedeflection of the control spring 232 of system 200, the deployed area ofcatalyst can be made greater or smaller as may prove necessary to assurethe desired reduction of the hydrogen peroxide to an acceptable level in6 to 8 hours following introduction of catalyst assembly along withcontact lenses to be disinfected.

Preferably, the catalyst assembly 300 provides 65 to 110 sq. mm ofsurface area when exposed to the hydrogen peroxide solution when thefirst catalyst member 302 is retained generally within the secondcatalyst member 304 as shown in FIG. 12, but the first and secondcatalyst members combined provide 1075 sq. mm of surface area once thefirst catalyst member 302 has been pulled generally out of the secondcatalyst member 304 as shown in FIG. 13.

The catalyst assembly 300, sized to complete the reaction within anappropriate time, is affixed to the actuating rod 299 and to the bottomof the stem 120 to assure that the catalytically-stimulateddisproportionation reaction only begins when contact lenses contained inthe space 128 between the stem 120 and the baskets 126 are immersedsimultaneously with introduction of the catalyst assembly 300 into thehydrogen peroxide disinfection solution 104. As discussed, approximately4 cc's of headspace 136 for containment of evolved oxygen gas ispreferably provided; however, this volume can be varied as can thevolume of solution 104, the ratio between these two items and theoverall surface area of the catalyst in order to alter disinfectiontimes and pressures, as previously discussed. Disinfection solution andpressure is contained between the cup 102 and the cap assembly 206 bythe seals 122, 278, as shown in FIG. 12. The entire sub-assembly of theplunger 270 is free to traverse within the plunger cylinder area 286with its attached piston 276 and actuating rod 299 traversing within thepiston cylinder area 282 of the valve body 216.

From a starting position as shown in FIG. 12, the catalyst assembly 300preferably provides only 65 sq. mm to 110 sq. mm of active catalystsurface area to initiate disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide andthereby create pressure in headspace 136 from the expanding evolvedoxygen. After simultaneous immersion of the catalyst assembly 300 withthe end of stem 120 into the hydrogen peroxide solution 104, along withthe contact lenses to be disinfected being contained within the spaces128, pressure developing within the headspace 136 impinges upon thepiston seal 278 and tends to push the plunger 270 up. This causes theplunger tip 288 to bear upon the control spring 232. The control spring232 acts as a beam to transfer the pressure-induced load to the controlspring supports 234, thereby resisting upward movement of plunger 270.As pressure within the headspace 136 continues to increase from theongoing disproportionation, and the plunger 270 traverses upward inresponse, the “U”-shape of the control spring 232 deforms in a manner inwhich the cross-sectional height of the “U”-form becomes smaller and thebeam strength of the control spring 232 declines. When the combinationof the force delivered by the plunger tip 288 reaches the maximum beamstrength of the control spring 232, the spring 232 flattens and bucklesallowing the plunger 270 to move upward until the control spring 232contacts the spring stop 250 on the inside surface 252 of the cap 214,as shown in FIG. 13. In this deformed condition, the control spring 232offers the plunger 270 significantly lower resistance. Typicalresistance to a bending force offered by a spring such as the controlspring 232 has been previously discussed hereinabove and can moreclearly be understood by viewing FIG. 17. As the piston 276 continues totraverse upward in response to pressure within the headspace 136, theplunger tip 288 begins to deform the control spring 232, and the pistonseal 278 exits the piston cylinder area 282 and enters a transitionsection 287 which serves to connect the piston cylinder area 282 and theplunger cylinder area 286. Once the piston seal 278 has exited thepiston cylinder area 282, pressure within the headspace 136 is free toflow through the transition section 287 and into the plunger cylinderarea 286 and hear upon the cylindrical portion 272 of the plunger 270,thereby driving the plunger 270 with increased force, along with plungertip 288 upward against the control spring 232, whereupon contact withthe spring stop 250 limits its deformation.

As shown in FIG. 5, with 10 milliliters of 3.7% peroxide in the cup 102,pressure within a headspace of 4 cc's would, for example, reach 100p.s.i. in approximately 60 minutes and concentration of the solutionwould remain above 2.7% (see FIG. 6) if the catalyst assembly had aninitial active surface area of 110 sq. mm. This process significantlydelays any substantial catalytic reduction of the peroxide concentrationduring that period of time compared to the typical decomposition rate(see FIG. 3), thereby increasing the overall effectiveness of the systemto kill undesirable pathogenic organisms as illustrated in FIG. 4. If,for example, the piston seal 278 were 0.185 inches in diameter, theplunger tip 288 would exert a bending force against the control spring232 of 2.7 pounds once 100 p.s.i. of pressure was reached within theheadspace 136 in system 200. By comparison, plunger 270, if 0.50 inchesin diameter, would have the potential to exert 19.6 pounds of forceagainst the control spring 232 when exposed to 100 p.s.i. of pressure.

This force would be, at most, only momentary however due to provision ofthe one way, pressure sensitive, low pressure, pressure control valve290 which is in communication with the pressurized gas flowing into thespace enclosed by the plunger cylinder area 286. Gas entering theplunger cylinder area 286 is contained by the plunger seal 274 and canonly escape to the ambiance by means of the pressure control valve 290.The flapper valve 292, retained on post 295 by retainer 294,communicates with the interior of the plunger cylinder area 286 throughport 296 and with the ambiance through passage 297. Decompression of theheadspace 136 in system 200 continues as oxygen gas under pressureagainst the flapper valve 292 is allowed to vent at the annular junctionbetween the flapper valve 292 and the post 295 and exits to the ambiancethrough passage after a threshold pressure of 24 p.s.i. to 36 p.s.i.,for example, has been reached. Such venting ceases as the flapper valve292 reseals against the post 295 after internal pressure has declined toa level below that of the original threshold pressure which for thisexample would be approximately 3 p.s.i. to 8 p.s.i. lower than thethreshold pressure. In the immediate example, with a resealing pressureof 12 p.s.i., the plunger 270 would exert 2.36 pounds of force againstthe control spring 232, holding it solidly against the spring stop 250as can be seen by viewing the spring force curve shown in FIG. 17,wherein the control spring 232 requires only 0.66 pounds of force tomaintain its deflection of 0.11 inches of travel, 0.81 pounds of forceto maintain its deflection of 0.15 inches and 1.42 pounds of force tomaintain its deflection of 0.30 inches. At 12 p.s.i., the force exertedby plunger 270 would be sufficient to keep the control spring 232 fullydeflected and thus maintain communication between the headspace 136 andthe flapper valve 292.

Deflection of the control spring 232 allows the plunger 270 to rise toits maximum extension to withdraw the first catalyst member 302 from thesecond catalyst member 304, thereby increasing the available overallactive catalyst surface area from the initial minimum of 65 to 110 sq.mm, to 1075 sq. mm. Movement of the catalyst creates mixing currents aswill the expanding and rising bubbles from oxygen boiling from thesolution and thermal currents resulting from heat generated by thecatalytically-inspired disproportionation, and these resulting currentsinitially speed the catalytic decomposition by disturbing stratificationto bring more peroxide molecules into contact with the catalyst. By thisprocess the peroxide will have been maintained at a high concentrationfor an extended period of time for improved efficacy in killingpathogenic organisms as compared to present day competitive systems.Further, although delayed from introduction, the significantly largeractive surface area of the deployed catalyst assures that peroxideconcentration is reduced more rapidly to a desirable safe level at theend of a 6 to 8 hour period.

As disclosed above, pressure within the headspace 136 in system 200initially rises to the high pressure level established by the controlspring 232 resisting force from the plunger 270, and then dropsprecipitously during venting when the piston 276 enters the transitionarea 287, after which the pressure rises and falls slightly as itresponds to low pressure control provided by the pressure control valve290 as shown in FIG. 18. After initial venting, pressure within theheadspace 136 in system 200 fluctuates between the vent pressure and theresealing pressure of the pressure control valve 290, but does notnormally drop below its resealing pressure. This low level rising andfalling pressure pattern continues for several hours after venting asdecomposition of hydrogen peroxide continues to lower peroxideconcentration down to an ocularly safe level.

Just like with system 100, preferably system 200 provides that there aresufficient threads 108, 110 for engaging the cup 102 with the capassembly 206 to allow the seal 122 to pass a chamfer 168 at the top 112of the cup 102, in order to relieve the low residual pressure maintainedby the pressure control valve 290, prior to final unthreading of the capassembly 206 from the cup 102. Conversely, during installation of thecap assembly 206, sufficient engagement is provided before the seal 122passes below the chamfer 168 in order to assure that adequate structureis engaged for containment of pressure generated during disinfection.

In addition to sustaining a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide foran extended period of time, decompression resulting from the release ofhigh pressure within the system 200 described herein provides anadditive effect to the disinfection process when oxygen occupyingheadspace 136 is vented through the controlled movement of piston 276,allowing saturated oxygen within the hydrogen peroxide disinfectionsolution 104 to boil off as pressure in the headspace 136 drops to acontrolled low level much more quickly than a pathogenic organism couldadjust in order to maintain its dynamic equilibrium.

It should be pointed out that the terms “catalyst” and “catalystassembly” are used somewhat interchangeably above in connection withdescribing the embodiments of the invention. It is preferred that amulti-component catalyst assembly be employed consisting of a pluralityof catalyst members which are moveable relative to each other to providefor a changing surface area which is exposed to the solution. One ormore of the catalyst members (or one or more portions thereof) may becoated with, for example, platinum to provide for an enhanced catalyticeffect with regard to the solution. While the above description refersto a first catalyst member being moved relative to second catalystmember, it should be understood that the contact lens cases disclosedherein could be configured such that the second catalyst member ismoveable relative to the first catalyst member. Alternatively, thecontact lens cases could be configured to operate with a multi-piececatalyst assembly having more than two pieces.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devisevarious modifications of the present invention without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present invention.

1. A disinfecting system for using solution to disinfect an object, saiddisinfecting system comprising: a cup configured to retain the solutiontherein; a catalyst assembly, wherein the system is configured to moveat least one piece of the catalyst assembly relative to at least oneother piece of the catalyst assembly in response to pressure in thesystem, thereby providing that the effective surface area of thecatalyst assembly which is exposed to the solution increases duringdisinfection of the object within the cup, wherein the catalyst assemblycomprises a first catalyst member and a second catalyst member, furthercomprising an actuating rod which engages at least one of the firstcatalyst member and the second catalyst member, a stem which engages atleast one of the first catalyst member and the second catalyst member,and wherein the actuating rod is moveable relative to the stem, therebyproviding that one of the first catalyst member and second catalystmember is moveable relative to the other of the first catalyst memberand second catalyst member.
 2. A disinfecting system as recited in claim1, further comprising a cap assembly, said cap assembly comprising acap, a valve body in contact with the cap, a control spring, and aspring-retaining member which retains the control spring and which isengaged with the valve body and is disposed within the cap.
 3. Adisinfecting system as recited in claim 2, wherein the cap assemblycomprises a one-way pressure control valve which is configured to allowventing of the system while preventing foreign matter from entering thesystem.
 4. A disinfecting system as recited in claim 2, wherein thesystem comprises a lower headspace which is contained within the cup, anupper headspace which is contained within the cap assembly, and acommunicating passageway which is configured to allows gas fromdecomposing solution to travel from the lower headspace, along thecommunicating passageway, to the upper headspace.
 5. A disinfectingsystem as recited in claim 4, wherein the actuating rod extends downwardthrough the communicating passageway.
 6. A disinfecting system asrecited in claim 5, further comprising a pressure-displaceable memberwhich is retained by the spring-retaining member.
 7. A disinfectingsystem as recited in claim 6, wherein the actuating rod is engaged withthe pressure-displaceable member, and the pressure-displaceable memberis secured in place by a cap on the actuating rod, wherein the cap onthe actuating rod bears against the control spring.
 8. A disinfectingsystem as recited in claim 7, wherein the cap assembly further comprisesa one-way pressure control valve which is configured to allow venting ofthe system while preventing foreign matter from entering the system. 9.A disinfecting system as recited in claim 7, wherein the actuating rodis configured to traverse longitudinally within the valve body inresponse to forces from the pressure-displaceable member and controlspring.
 10. A disinfecting system as recited in claim 9, whereinlongitudinal movement of the actuating rod traversing within the valvebody is limited by the control spring, wherein the control spring isconfigured to detain movement of the actuating rod until internalpressure resulting from gas released into the lower headspace, enterscommunicating passageway, flows to upper headspace, and impinges uponthe pressure-displaceable member, wherein the pressure-displaceablemember, in response to pressure, is configured to transfer a force tothe cap of the actuating rod, wherein the cap of the actuating rodtransfers force to the control spring, wherein the control spring isconfigured to resist upward movement of the pressure-displaceablemember, wherein as pressure within the upper headspace against thepressure-displaceable member rises, the pressure-displaceable membergains sufficient force to overcome the control spring, whereafter theactuating rod traverses longitudinally relative to the stem, causing theeffective surface area of the catalyst exposed to the solution toincrease.
 11. A disinfecting system as recited in claim 2, furthercomprising a plunger having a first seal thereon which contacts andseals against an internal wall of the valve body, wherein the plungercomprises a portion which extends from the cylindrical portion, whereinthe portion which extends from the cylindrical portion of the plungerhas a second seal thereon which also contacts and seals against aninternal wall of the valve body, wherein the second seal comprises afirst valve of the system, and wherein the system further comprises aone-way pressure control valve, said one-way pressure control valvecomprising a second valve of the system, wherein the system isconfigured such that upon sufficient pressure resulting in the system,the plunger moves thereby causing the second seal to move out of contactwith the internal wall of the valve body, thereby opening said firstvalve, whereafter the system vents through the second valve via gas inthe system venting through the one-way pressure control valve.
 12. Adisinfecting system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a capassembly which comprises a cap, a valve body, a control spring, aspring-retaining member which retains the control spring, is engagedwith the valve body, and is disposed within the cap, a plunger having aseal thereon which contacts and seals against the valve body, whereinthe plunger comprises a portion which extends from the cylindricalportion and provides the actuating rod, wherein the portion whichextends from the cylindrical portion of the plunger also has a sealthereon which contacts and seals against the valve body, wherein theplunger is configured to traverse up and down, causing the seal on thecylindrical portion of the plunger to slide along a surface of the valvebody, and causing the seal on the portion which extends from thecylindrical portion of the plunger to slide along, and into and out ofengagement with, a surface of the valve body.
 13. A disinfecting systemas recited in claim 12, wherein a vent port is provided in the valvebody, between the seal on the cylindrical portion of the plunger and theseal on the portion which extends from the cylindrical portion of theplunger.
 14. A disinfecting system as recited in claim 13, furthercomprising a vent passage and a valve between the vent port and the ventpassage.
 15. A disinfecting system for using solution to disinfect anobject, said disinfecting system comprising: a catalyst assembly; anactuating rod which engages at least one piece of the catalyst assembly;a stem which is configured to retain the object as well as at least oneother piece of the catalyst assembly; a one-way pressure control valve;and a mechanism which is configured to respond to pressure within thesystem and effect movement of the actuating rod, thereby causing the atleast one piece of the catalyst assembly to move relative to at leastone other piece of the catalyst assembly, wherein the disinfectingsystem is configured such that movement of the actuating rod causes anincrease in the effective surface area of the catalyst assembly which isexposed to the solution, wherein the system is configured such thatventing of the system occurs through the one-way pressure control valveupon the mechanism responding to pressure within the system andeffecting movement of the actuating rod.
 16. A disinfecting system asrecited in claim 15, further comprising a cap assembly, said capassembly comprising a cap, a valve body in contact with the cap, acontrol spring, and a spring-retaining member which retains the controlspring and which is engaged with the valve body and is disposed withinthe cap.
 17. A disinfecting system as recited in claim 16, wherein thestem is engaged with the valve body and has a sealing member thereon forsealing with an inside surface of the cup.
 18. A disinfecting system asrecited in claim 17, wherein the system comprises a lower headspacewhich is contained within the cup, an upper headspace which is containedwithin the cap assembly, and a communicating passageway which isconfigured to allows gas from decomposing solution to travel from thelower headspace, along the communicating passageway, to the upperheadspace.
 19. A disinfecting system as recited in claim 15, furthercomprising a cap assembly, wherein the system comprises a lowerheadspace which is contained within the cup, an upper headspace which iscontained within the cap assembly, and a communicating passageway whichis configured to allow gas from decomposing solution to travel from thelower headspace, along the communicating passageway, to the upperheadspace, wherein the actuating rod extends downward through thecommunicating passageway.
 20. A disinfecting system as recited in claim19, wherein the cap assembly comprises a cap, a valve body in contactwith the cap, a control spring, a spring-retaining member which retainsthe control spring and which is engaged with the valve body and isdisposed within the cap, and a pressure-displaceable member which isretained by the spring-retaining member.
 21. A disinfecting system asrecited in claim 20, wherein the actuating rod is engaged with thepressure-displaceable member, and the pressure-displaceable member issecured in place by a cap on the actuating rod, wherein the cap on theactuating rod bears against the control spring.
 22. A disinfectingsystem as recited in claim 21, wherein the actuating rod is configuredto traverse longitudinally within the valve body in response to forcesfrom the pressure-displaceable member and control spring.
 23. Adisinfecting system as recited in claim 22, wherein longitudinalmovement of the actuating rod traversing within the valve body islimited by the control spring, wherein the control spring is configuredto detain movement of the actuating rod until internal pressureresulting from gas released into the lower headspace, enterscommunicating passageway, flows to upper headspace, and impinges uponthe pressure-displaceable member, wherein the pressure-displaceablemember, in response to pressure, is configured to transfer a force tothe cap of the actuating rod, wherein the cap of the actuating rodtransfers force to the control spring, wherein the control spring isconfigured to resist upward movement of the pressure-displaceablemember, wherein as pressure within the upper headspace against thepressure-displaceable member rises, the pressure-displaceable membergains sufficient force to overcome the control spring, whereafter theactuating rod traverses longitudinally relative to the stem, causing theeffective surface area of the catalyst exposed to the solution toincrease.
 24. A disinfecting system as recited in claim 16, furthercomprising a plunger having a first seal thereon which contacts andseals against an internal wall of the valve body, wherein the plungercomprises a portion which extends from the cylindrical portion, whereinthe portion which extends from the cylindrical portion of the plungerhas a second seal thereon which also contacts and seals against aninternal wall of the valve body, wherein the second seal comprises afirst valve of the system, wherein the one-way pressure control valvecomprises a second valve of the system, wherein the system is configuredsuch that upon sufficient pressure resulting in the system, the plungermoves thereby causing the second seal to move out of contact with theinternal wall of the valve body, thereby opening said first valve,whereafter the system vents through the second valve via gas in thesystem venting through the one-way pressure control valve.
 25. Adisinfecting system as recited in claim 24, wherein a vent port isprovided in the valve body, between the seal on the cylindrical portionof the plunger and the seal on the portion which extends from thecylindrical portion of the plunger.
 26. A disinfecting system as recitedin claim 25, further comprising a vent passage and a valve between thevent port and the vent passage.